Friends to the End?
by AnOxymoron
Summary: All the Wildcats are excited about their Senior Year, but new faces, flames, and flaws discovered turn things upside down!
1. Evans, Eagle, and Envy

Here's my second fanfic… those of you who have read "Love to Gabi from Chad" probably will recognize my style.

Read and Review! I hope to get more feedback than I did for the last!

Enjoy!!  
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing as successful as HSM, but I hope that someday I will…

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THE REFORMATION OF ONE EVANS

Gabriella reached into her locker and pulled out the thick stack of textbooks that were waiting to be stuffed into her backpack. New school year, new subjects – and college application forms to be filled out,of which were tucked safely away into her misc. binder.

Just as she was closing the locker, two cologne-scented hands closed over her eyes. "Hola, bella," Troy said in what he appeared to think was a good Spanish accent.

She balanced her books against one hip and used her free hand to remove his hands from her face, spinning around with a grin on her face. "No wonder you failed Spanish, mister. You sound like a duck."

"Excuse me," he said in a girly voice. "That was not polite." He crossed his arms and looked away in a miffed stance.

She grinned and uncrossed his arms for him. "You can't stay mad at me for long, Troy. You like me too much."

Troy smiled at her and opened his mouth to say something, but just as he did, his eyes lost their playful gleam and the smile dropped off of his face so quickly that Gabi was alarmed. "Troy?" she asked nervously. His eyes had traveled to just above her head, presumably staring at the person behind her. She turned around and found herself face to face with the very girl who had almost stolen her boyfriend over the summer.

"Sharpay," she said in a voice that was more fearful than she'd intended. "I mean – hi."

Sharpay's expression was cold and emotionless. "Troy. Gabriella," she said in a voice that indicated pure hatred. "How was the rest of your summer leeching off of _my _country club?"

Troy shrugged, not wishing to bait the mountain lion. "It was okay. How was drama camp? It's a shame you left just as the fun started."

"Drama camp was excellent," she said stiffly. "Well… see you later." She strode off in a cloud of Burberry perfume, heading towards her new locker, which she had already decked out in pink construction paper, gold star stickers, and photographs of her onstage and with her Sharpettes.

The person behind her smiled apologetically at Gabi and Troy. "Sorry about her, guys," Ryan said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked a little nervous; he hadn't seen them since they'd put on his production for the club talent show and he clearly was afraid their good spirits towards him had died out.

Gabi quenched his notions by throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Hi, Ry!" she exclaimed. "It's so great to see you!"

Ryan hugged her back and then stepped away to glance nervously at Troy. "Hey, man," he said, extending a hand.

Troy slapped it. "Hey, good summer?"

"OK. At least at drama camp they weren't all as psycho as-"

"RYAN!" Sharpay shrieked from the other side of the hall intersection, glaring vindictively at the three of them. "Why are you slumming?" she stomped her boot-encased foot.

"Nice shoes!" Gabi called, giggling a little as she looked at Sharpay's rhinestone-clad pink shoes, which perfectly matched the blindingly glittery tank top.

Sharpay looked at her with the most offended expression Gabi had ever seen on her face, an occasion which was rare, because hardly anyone ever dared to offend the Great Sharpay Evans.

Ryan gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm coming, Shar!" he yelled back at her. "See you around?" he clapped Troy on the back and grinned at Gabi, before taking off and maneuvering his way through a cluster of freshmen towards Sharpay.

"So, senior year," Troy said, extending one hand to lean casually against the lockers. "Pretty exciting, eh?"

"Well, you've got a set spot at Albuquerque U," Gabi laughed. "You can call this exciting. But all the places I'm applying are nuts! They have this special requirements and interviews and alum meetings and-"

Her tirade was cut off by a piercing shriek that set everyone in the hallway – including the bypassing principal – staring.

Gabi turned around and saw the girl standing a couple feet away in sensible shoes, a raspberry jacket and shirt, and a uniformly checked skirt. "OHMYGOD!" she shouted, running towards the girl, who was holding a Wheelie backpack handle in her left hand.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!" the girl screamed as Gabi threw her arms around her neck.

The principal, who had finally regained his hearing, strode over to them. "Now, Miss Montez, I understand you're excited to see old friends, but you really must keep it down. I'd expect more restraint from you!"  
Gabi nodded breathlessly. "I understand, Mr. Matsui, but you see – this Leslie Eagle!"

Principal Matsui looked at the girl expressionlessly. "And…?"

Troy approached the principal and the two girls. "Hi," he said, looking at the person who Gabi was still half-choking.

He reminded her of Taylor with her clothes, but she looked shockingly like Gabi in the face. Her two pigtail braids were the exact same charcoal color as Gabi's, and her face was just as tanned and almost as beautiful – or she could've been. Besides the fact that her coke bottle glasses were tackily decorated with Sponge Bob stickers, she was wearing too much red lipstick that was poorly applied.

Mr. Matsui sniffed a little and nodded towards the three kids. "Just behave," he said, and walked away.

The hallway resumed the usual chatter, ignoring the strange screaming girls as old friends greeted each other and fresh "meat" clutched their hallway maps and moved around in tight huddles, as if expecting to be devoured by seniors any second.

"Troy, this is Leslie Eagle, my old friend from Ford Springs. Leslie, this is my good friend Troy."

Troy extended his hand dazedly and didn't even hear Leslie's babbling greeting. He wasn't sure if he'd heard Gabi right, but if he had, he was really surprised. Had she seriously introduced him as her 'good friend'? They were clearly dating – they'd kissed and held hands and their own special meeting place. Wasn't he her official boyfriend?

Taylor McKessie came up behind him. "Who's this?" she said a little coolly. Troy refrained from smiling; Gabi had taught him enough about girls to recognize that Tay was steaming jealous.

"I'm Leslie," the girl said, removing her hand from Troy's and holding it out to Taylor.

"Les is my friend from Ford Springs in New York! I cannot believe you're here," Gabi gushed. "This will be so much fun."

"Why _are _you here?" Taylor asked, leaving Leslie's hand alone midair.

Leslie slowly withdrew her offering and said in the same overly excited tone, "I got a full scholarship to Albuquerque U, so Mom said I should get a good feel of the place before heading off to college. So here I am to finish out my high school years with you guys!"

"I hope you're not joining the scholastic team," Taylor said stiffly.

Gabi looked shocked at what her best friend had just said to her other best friend. "Tay! Why did you just say that?"  
Troy looked at Leslie, who looked highly offended. If she had blonde hair, ditched the glasses and lipstick, and put on something pink and shiny, she could have been another Sharpette.

"Sorry," Taylor said quickly, apparently realizing how rude she had just been. "I meant, I hope you haven't been _hoping_ to join the team because, uh, we're full." She nodded matter-of-factly.

Under the pretense of a cough, Troy looked away and rolled his eyes. Taylor's story was weak. It was the first day of school; even if she was the captain of the team, she had no way of knowing if the scholastic team even had any signups yet.

"No, we're not!" Gabi said brightly, still not catching on to Taylor's envy. Troy knew too much about Gabi to think she was that stupid. She was the one who'd taught him about reading feelings; she obviously knew what was going on but was desperately trying to act like it wasn't in the hopes that it would go away.

"Of course we are!" Tay argued, glaring at Gabi and Leslie maliciously. "We're FULL. Gab, let's go to our next class." She seized Gabi's hand and dragged her away.

Troy was stuck on the spot, uncertain if he should follow the pair or if he'd be intruding on private girl talk. Sure enough, instead of heading to homeroom, Tay dragged Gabi towards an alcove by the drinking fountain and started talking animatedly.

Before he could even decide what to do, he felt a hand crawling up his arm and resting on his shoulder. "So," said Leslie's high-pitched voice as she rested her cheek against his forearm and batted her eyelashes klutzily, "How do you and Gabriella Maria know each other?"

"Uh…" he mumbled awkwardly. She was standing with her hip right up against his leg and smiling flirtatiously; not only that, he was surprised to hear her call Gabi "Gabriella Maria". He'd never heard anyone call her by both first and middle names.

"I'm kind of her boy-"

Gabi came storming back, red in the face, and shoved Leslie's hand off of Troy. Troy breathed in relief, assuming that she'd tell Leslie to keep her hands off, but instead she looked defiantly at Troy. "I don't know what's gotten into that girl." She huffed and looked at Taylor, who was sulking by the fountain.

Leslie smiled brightly. "He's cute," she whispered loudly to Gabi, jerking a thumb at Troy. "Where'd you pick him up?"  
Gabi turned even redder, this time not out of fury but out of embarrassment. "Shut up, Leslie," she said impatiently. "We're seniors now. Last time I saw you I was a sophomore, but we're mature enough not to talk like this, right?"

Leslie looked surprised at the disguised scolding. "I guess so," she said.

Troy slung his arm around Gabi's shoulders, hoping to convey the message that he was dating her, since she hadn't exactly told Leslie.

Gabi gently placed her hand on the one that Troy was dangling by her neck and moved it over several inches to her collarbone. "That tickles," she said quietly as Leslie moved on, completely unaware of her surroundings as she examined the building.

Troy looked at her in surprise; she had never told him not to touch her anywhere or tried to move his hands. She gave him a forced smile and continued walking. He broke away as they reached his locker, spun the dial, grabbed his books and quickly turned around to ask her what was wrong. Gabi was already heading down the hall with Leslie, arms wrapped around each other's waists. Frowning quizzically, he headed in the opposite direction towards science.

EAGLE FORGOTTEN

Their first day as high school seniors was relatively uneventful. By the time the day was over, Troy was eager to see Gabi. Due to their new schedules, he barely saw her at all on Mondays. He didn't even attempt to hide his grin when he saw her coming towards him. He was sweaty and gross from basketball practice, but he was still glad to see her. Gabi never cared if he was wearing a tuxedo or just wearing his team jersey and a sweat towel.

"Hey, superstar," she called as she approached, her arms out waiting for a hug.

He avoided her arms and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Sorry, sweetheart," he said, tousling her hair affectionately. "You don't want to touch this superstar before he's showered and lathered up in deodorant."

She winced. "Thanks for the info. I'll wait on the bench?"

"Sure. Just give me a couple of seconds."

By the time he'd come out of the back door, his hair still dripping, Gabi was lying on the bench reading some strange, thousand-page novel. She sat up and crossed her legs when he came out. He sat down next to her, feeling nervous. They'd barely spoken since the morning, when she had a) called him just a "good friend" and b) told him not to touch her neck.

She looked at him, a devilish smile on her face. "I know what you're thinking," she said, swinging herself around so she was almost sitting on his lap.

"Yeah, what's that?" he asked, kissing the top of her head and breathing in the scent of her sweet smelling hair.

"Sorry about this afternoon. Seeing Les, I went a little crazy. And-"

"Yes?" he prompted, hoping she'd target the touching issue so he could go back to holding her with abandon.

"Leslie's really not comfortable around boys," she said. "I just didn't want her to feel, like, you know, left out."

He nodded, trying to look understanding. "Yeah, I totally get it," he said.

"Thanks," she grinned at him. "So you don't have to be tense or anything. Go ahead."

He chuckled a little. "Am I that bad at concealing my feelings?"

She reached up to pull his head down towards her, so they were nose to nose. She looked beautiful even with just one eye. "That means you're honest. It's good, so don't change."

She let his head go and rested against him peacefully.

They sat in silence for a while, and then she said thoughtfully, "Ryan certainly has changed. I'm hoping he'll have an influence on Sharpay."

"That Wildcat's never going to change her spots," Troy laughed. "Though she might soften up a little once she sees what Zeke's left on her porch."  
Gabi gasped and sat up straight, looking at Troy with wide eyes. "He didn't!"

Troy nodded mischievously. "Oh, yes he did."  
Gabi burst out laughing. Zeke had made a dummy of Sharpay wearing Ryan's Tiki Warrior costume, which he had pulled off the EBay market and given to the Wildcats as a gift, and completely graffitied her face, but nobody thought he'd work up the nerve to defy his ex-crush like that.

"I can't wait to see her shouting match with him tomorrow," Troy said serenely, his eyes dancing with laughter. "I hope Baker Boy comes out in less than a thousand pieces."  
Gabi snorted. "We're lucky if we can find any piece of him at all!"

Troy laughed a little. "Let's go to my house and watch E.T.," he suggested.

She gave the cute little shrug that he found so enrapturing and stood up. "What are we waiting for? I never refuse free popcorn and a night with my Wildcat."

He slung his arm around her shoulders again – this time she said nothing – and they set off together.

THE ENVY OF TAYLOR

Troy arrived at school whistling and smiling brightly. He and Gabi had had a perfect night together, and he was in an extremely good mood because Tuesday mornings, they had every single class together.

Before he even reached the door, however, he was sidetracked by Taylor, who leapt out of a bush and dragged him towards the side of the building. He was surprised to find the whole gang gathered – Kelsi, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Ryan. The only person missing was Gabi.

"What's going on?" he asked confusedly.

Chad hushed his voice and whispered, "That girl – Eagle – is seriously freaky!"

Jason jumped in with a wide-eyed, frantic nod. "Yesterday at lunch she tried to sit on my lap!!"  
Ryan interjected with a, "She can spell, like, any word in the dictionary. Me and Shar tested her during free period!"

They seemed to each take turns bashing Leslie. "She raised her hand in class even when no questions were being asked, just so she could be the "first" to raise her hand and for every question, so she could shoot her smarty pants mouth off!" Taylor hissed angrily. "Mrs. McDonald had to ask her to lower her hand _eighteen _times! EIGHTEEN!"

"And she asked me if I was a singer, and I said I was a composer and a stage manager, and she goes, 'I can sing!' and I am SOOO surprised the windows in that classroom didn't shatter," Kelsi said earnestly.

That left only Zeke, who gave a noncommittal shrug. "I think she's kinda hot," he mumbled. Everyone groaned and turned instead to face Troy, who backed away, his hands in the air.

"Why are you all staring at me?" he asked.

"Gabi's your girlfriend, and she's the one who brought us Freakazoid 2000!" Tay hissed. "Tell her to either get that girl to change or to get rid of her completely!"

Everyone nodded so ferociously Troy had to nod too. "But wait," he said, stopping himself, "what if that hurts Gabi's feelings? Leslie is her best friend."  
"Relax," Chad said. "We're all in on this. She can't just get mad at you. No worries, captain."

Troy winced a little. "I don't think I can."

Everyone scoffed. "Sissy," Kelsi grumbled.

"You guys ease up," Ryan said. "I don't like her either, but you can't ask Troy to risk his girlfriend just for us."  
"Thanks," Troy said gratefully. "I'll take care of Leslie; I just won't talk to Gab about it, everyone okay with that?"  
They nodded simultaneously and started trickling into the school building. Ryan hung back and looked curiously at Troy. "How do you plan on getting rid of her and her strange ways without letting Gabi know about our plot?"

Troy gave him a desperate look. "To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea."

The two of them headed inside together, Troy's head swirling with thoughts about Gabi and Leslie and wondering how someone who looked as sweet as Taylor could get jealous enough to have everyone gang up on a newcomer.


	2. Songs, Science, and Sharpay

Here's the second chapter!!

Keep reviewing, please…

 Anyone who has ideas about what should come next, comment on it and I'll pick the idea I like the best!

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NEW SONG

Gabi and Troy met up their first weekend as seniors with Kelsi. The winter musical was far from even approaching, but she had already started texting them gushing about all her ideas for new songs.

Troy was excited; singing with Gabi was like being on drugs, only it was completely pure. Singing onstage at the talent show had vanquished his thoughts about ending his singing career.

Kelsi led them to her old, battered house piano and dealt out the sheet music with the lyrics. "I can't wait for the next musical. I'm really hoping Darbus picks my compositions again," she squealed.

Gabi smiled at how excited she was. "She has to, Kel. _Twinkle Towne _was such a success that Principal Matsui gave us a standing ovation, and you know how sporty he is. Always picks Troy's dad above Darbus."

She giggled as Troy covered her mouth and crossed his ankles, trying to look suave. "She didn't say anything," he said, his eyes darting around the room.

Kelsi laughed. "I know that's true, and it's ok. I don't like the drama club very much, and who likes Darbus besides The Sharpay Crew?"

Troy shrugged. "I think that Jason harbors a burning, secret passion for her…"  
They all started laughing.

"OK, back to business," Kelsi said, abruptly halting their moment of fun. "Listen to this, guys, I really like what I've gotten so far on this song."

Troy and Gabi exchanged I'm-on-tenterhooks looks as they waited for Kelsi to start playing. She shook back her sleeves like some aged, wizened pianist, put on her most aloof expression, and began playing amidst Gabi's giggles and Troy's snorts.

_"I've never seen someone like you…_

_Who could take me by the hand and tell me_

_You loved me, _

_Like nothing else in the world – _

_You loved me. _

_"And I've never seen someone like you,_

_Who could make me believe the things you said were…_

_True... I can't believe it's true._

_No, no, no, _

_"When you smile, it lights up my world_

_When you laugh it's like the most beautiful song_

_I've ever heard, _

_You're my reason, for everything… oh, oh,_

_And no matter what, you're still my angel…_

Gabi and Troy had stopped laughing but were focusing on their papers; Kelsi smiled and stopped singing to let them carry on with the rest of the song.

TROY: _"I know it's you when you walk through the door_

_You're always there for me, _

_You're always there for me and I love you…_

_Like nothing else, I love you…"_

GABI: _"Like I said, nobody like you,_

_Makes me feel this way,_

_I don't know exactly I'm supposed to say,_

_But you're mine, I hope, you're mine,_

_Forever…"_

TROY: _"I'm yours, I'm a slave, _

_Wrapped up in chains, _

_But I'd caress you and hold you, _

_And it'd be OK, no matter what my bonds are…_

TOGETHER: _"It wouldn't matter, no, no, because you'd be there for me, _

_Together, we'll conquer everything, together, we shall be,_

_And no matter what comes, we'll take it,_

_Because we'll be united and one, _

_So whoever comes between us, they better watch out…_

_(ECHO, Watch Out…) Because we'll stand them down,_

_You and me…"_

TROY: _"I'm thinking now, _

_And I'm realizing,_

_I could've said this simply…"_

GABI: _"Yes, we could've said this simply,_

_With three words,_

TOGETHER: _"Three words, yes indeed,_

_So let's go ahead and say this_

_Simply…_

_No matter what or when or how,_

_Always I shall be there, _

_And you'll be mine, and I can tell you…_

_"I love you."_

The music stopped, leaving Troy and Gabi gazing into each other's eyes with uncertain but ever present intensity. The song was beautiful, and singing it to each other – Troy could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage so hard he thought it might break out.

"I cannot believe you managed to finish this song so quickly, it's amazing," Gabi said breathlessly, but she was still gazing into Troy's eyes. He felt like the entire room was pulsating, pressing down upon them, forcing them closer to each other although physically, they stayed rooted to the spot…

Kelsi snapped her fingers. "Hello?" she said loudly. "Anyone home? Troy? Gabriella?"  
They both snapped out of at the same time.

"Amazing," Troy echoed Gabi, and then, collecting his thoughts, he added, "that was spectacular, Kel, good job!"

"Thanks," Kelsi said hesitantly, looking between the pair of them. Troy avoided Gabi's eyes as he looked towards the kitchen.

"How about some Cheese Whip and crackers?" he suggested; Kelsi's mother had set out a bowl of plain saltines and a can of cheese.

"Sure," Gabi said, gazing down at the Oriental carpet. Kelsi's face broken into a knowing smile.

"What?" the two of them asked at the same time, noticing her evil grin.

"Nothing. Why don't you two lovebirds help yourselves, let me go change out of these jeans into…uh… sweatpants," she said. She fled up the stairs before either could protest.

Troy tucked his hands into his back pockets awkwardly. Gabi walked past him almost coldly and headed for the snacks. He followed suit, completely unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"Open up, captain," she giggled when he came into the kitchen, aiming the nozzle of the can at his mouth. He opened wide and she shot a perfect stream of cheese onto his waiting tongue. He closed his mouth and swallowed, suppressing the urge to cheese-whip all of her hair. He was a mature senior, above stupid pranks…

She hit him full in the face with another blast of cold whip. "Ooh, look, whipped cream," she exclaimed with a tiny giggle as he attempted to wipe the processed yellow cream out of his eyes.

"I'm gonna get you, Montez," he shouted, chasing blindly after what he hoped was Gabi. They headed back into the living room and did a double-crash with Kelsi, who had come down in pajama sweats and was promptly bowled over as they dashed towards the dining room.

"Wow," she said, observing Troy's dripping cheeks and Gabi, who was doubled over with laughter. "Why don't you psychos head on out of here to like, make out or something, and leave me to my peaceful music?"  
Troy picked Gabi up with one arm and swung her legs over his other, holding her like he was carrying her over the threshold as a new bride. "As you say, madam," he said, bowing deeply to Kelsi and almost dropping Gabi, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

Kelsi snatched the cheese bottle out of Gabi's hands and watched them go. Only when they left did she relax her sternly scolding expression and laugh. Gabi and Troy were hopelessly and completely in love with each other.

It was very cute.

SCIENCE QUEEN QUIBBLE

Troy had been hoping against all hopes that over the weekend, Taylor would cool off towards Leslie and, in turn, so would everyone else. His hopes were dashed when Tay showed up on Monday morning with her game face on. The minute she spotted Troy, she marched over and struck a pose that suggested nothing good.

"Troy," she said loudly, slamming her fist against one of the locker vents.

"Yes?" he asked nervously, closing his locker and slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

"She's a geek!" Taylor exclaimed. Troy could've sworn her hair grew bushier by the second when she was angry.

"And this is a bad thing…?"

"She's a science nerd. A geek! Gabriella Montez, part II! And I could barely stand it when Part I came along! It took me months and months to get over someone smarter than me coming to East High!"

"What? Wait a second, back up," Troy said, utterly baffled. "What are you talking about?"  
Taylor rolled her eyes in exasperation. "On Sunday mornings, Gabi and I have private brunches," she said slowly. "But guess who came yesterday? Little Miss Dorky Witch."

Troy nodded slowly, trying to understand where she was going.

"And she and Gabi engaged in a conversation that I almost didn't understand!" Taylor exclaimed, raising her hands to the heavens as if asking for divine inspiration.

Troy arched an eyebrow. "But you did understand it?"  
"Well, yes, I did," Tay snapped impatiently, "Obviously!"  
"OK, excuse me," Troy snarled.

"Sorry." She took a deep, calming breath. "I need you to get rid of her!"

"What, you want me to cart her body off to the woods?" Troy folded his arms. "Deal with it! You can make yourself smarter than her, can't you? Just study more?"

"It's inhuman, her intelligence!" Taylor exclaimed. "I can't reach that supernatural point! She's smarter than Gabi and smarter than me… she's-"

"Troy!" it was Gabi, who had sneaked up behind him and was now playing with tufts of his sandy hair. "You look cute today," she said, taking in Troy's unusually classy getup.

"Thanks," Troy said, smiling at her with puppy eyes.

Taylor groaned in disgust. "Can you guys take it somewhere else?" she stalked off, displeased with Gabi's interruption of her "secretive" meeting about Leslie.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Just stuff," he said vaguely, putting his arms around her waist and giving her a tight squeeze. "Come on, walk with me to class."

"We have two separate classes, Troy," she said, looking up at him shyly. She was wearing some kind of shiny substance on her eyelids, and her lips were shiny and smelled like cherries.

"You smell good," he said stupidly; it was the first thing that came to his head and it slipped out before he could realize how idiotic it sounded.

"Thanks," she giggled a little, kissed his cheek lightly enough so she didn't leave any gloss behind.

"Go get a room," said a gratingly high voice from behind Troy. They both jumped apart and saw Leslie standing there, grinning and showing lipstick-stained teeth.

"You look retarded," she informed Gabi. "Like, a PDA. You know, Princess of Dirty-"

"Leslie!" Gabi said loudly. "Hi!" she threw her arms around the girl and, in the action, muffled her voice.

Leslie pushed her away, frowning. "Hi, Gabriella," she said as if she considered Gabi to be completely crazy.

"See you later, Troy," Gabi said over her shoulder, tossing Troy a look that was clearly meant to say, 'Sorry but I have to'. He watched her go and found himself standing alone, hands in his pockets, feeling very ditched.

Troy was left with the distinct impression that perhaps the Wildcats were not exaggerating with their opinions on Leslie Eagle.

SHARPAY'S EPIPHANY

Sharpay Evans was extremely bored. She loved Ms. Darbus dearly – well, only because she always gave Sharpay the leads – but her droning about how vacations were a waste of time and education could get extremely nap-inducing. With a yawn hidden in her book bag, she stole a furtive look at her traitorous brother, Ryan. Ry had been unforgivably cruel to her at the country club, and he didn't even bring her Evian face spray when she asked him to at drama club. He was becoming one of _them, _the losers (except for Troy) who constantly tagged at Montez's feet.

Troy and Gabi had orchestrated a seat-switching in order to sit next to each other. The freaky new girl, who apparently was clueless as to what makeup was except for her overdone two-cent lipstick, was sitting two seats behind Gabi. She was casting angry looks at Troy and Gabi's hands, which were joined across the aisle, held low but clutching to each other tightly. Darbus never noticed their cleverly concealed acts of PDA.

Clearly, the tacky newcomer had the hots for Troy just like any other normal high school girl. It must be difficult, liking your best friend's boyfriend, Sharpay mused. Of course, if anyone but Gabi Montez was going to be wrapped in Troy's arms, it would be Sharpay. She was the girl for him, even more of a match than Gabriella. She just needed to make him see sense…

Of course, the Sharpettes were always reporting to her about the locker room gossip in between girls. It was always something against Sharpay, vicious rumors or matter-of-fact statements that they'd heard Troy dissing Sharpay around the school. It was no news flash that he hated her, but only because Gabi had brainwashed him.

Sharpay looked behind her shoulder at Zeke, who was shielding his notebook with one hand so Darbus couldn't see that instead of taking notes on "101 Ways to Make the Best of Your Vacation", he was writing down new recipes for his ridiculous quiches.

He looked up and caught Sharpay's eye. He gave a little grin and wiggled his fingers in the air. She frowned and turned around. The Tiki Warrior Sharpay had not been a very clever use of that costume…

Darbus had stopped talking, which meant that they were free to go. The sharp ringing of the bell brought Sharpay back to earth, and she quickly stuffed her books into her bag and stood up, swinging it over her shoulder with a slight flounce of her hair. She was pretty sure Troy was staring at her, but when she looked back in his direction, he and Gabi were capitalizing on Darbus' momentary distraction by a student's question and were locked in an embrace that seemed doubtful to separate for a while.

She gave a scandalized gasp. "Ms. Darbus!" she said loudly over the student hubbub. Ms. Darbus looked up in surprise and lowered her spectacles, giving Sharpay an once-over. "Yes?"

She looked at Troy and Gabi, but they had managed to separate and were staring down at their notebooks, clearly trying to look innocent. Troy was knocking his knees together… he was so cute…

"Yes, Sharpay, what is it?" Ms. Darbus repeated.

"Oh, I wanted to show you my new songs," she said, and handed Ms. Darbus the small folder that contained most of the ideas she'd penned down over summer vacation at drama camp. Without Ryan, she had been fairly lonely. He was off canoeing with his friends and having fun, but she refused to engage in such lowly activities. She would never divulge to anyone that she'd been lonely, though, that would only make her seem weak – "Lovely, dear," Ms. Darbus said distractedly, shoving the folder back towards Sharpay. "I must go. Cheerio!" she disappeared. Sharpay picked up her folder, clutched it tightly to her chest, and moved on through the crowd trying to exit the classroom.

She discovered Troy and Gabi by Gabi's locker, and stealthily moved towards her own, hiding her face behind the door while observing them through the vinyl slats.

The hallways were fairly quiet, which meant she could steal bits of their conversation.

"I don't know, Troy," Gabi was saying. They were clasping hands together in a knot; Troy was holding her hands to his chest and gazing down at her with sappy eyes. Eyes enchanted, Sharpay thought disgustedly, by a very skilled temptress…

"Please, Gabi," he said.

Those piercing blue irises – Sharpay felt her knees begin to buckle, and she almost collapsed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. With a little shriek, she spun around and met Ryan, who was grinning idiotically.

"Yes, moron?" she asked, annoyed that her fantasy about Troy had been rudely cut off before she could even begin to dream about what it would be like to kiss him.

Ryan looked a little taken aback. "Sorry, Shar, I just wanted to see how things are going. Oh, and Dad texted me, he and Mom are going to a private clientele showing, and Rosa's not in."  
Rosa was their maid, who cooked whenever Mrs. Evans wasn't in. The only reason why Emma cooked was because she believed in a strictly soy diet to benefit everyone's inner flux; Rosa was not even sure what an inner flux was. Whenever she cooked, they had grease-soaked dishes. When even Rosa was not available, they ordered from Whole Foods.

"OK. I want the pita bread with hummus and a quarter cup of cheddar cheese, grated fine and on a horizontal shredder. Custom make the hummus with no tomatoes or watery jalapenos, just the real stuff if they've got it."

Ryan looked at his Oxfords. "Well, Shar, I was thinking since the 'rents are out-"

"Excuse me?" Sharpay shut her locker so loudly Ryan started in surprise. "The 'rents' – what, are you talking their ghetto speech now?" she slapped him, not strong enough to make him stumble or anything, but to make the skin turn red. He raised a slow hand to his cheek, as if to see if she had really struck him.

"Don't go that way!" she said. She was aware a small crowd was gathering, and decided to amp it up. "Just don't go there, Ryan!" she exclaimed. "I can't bear to watch you become…" she cast a venomous glare towards Gabi and Troy, who were still holding hands but no longer gazing into each other's eyes while Gabi cast her voodoo spell over Troy.

Ryan turned around and walked slowly down the hall. Halfway towards the turnoff into another part of the school, he wheeled around and gave Sharpay the cruelest look he'd ever given her. "Hey, sis!" he called. "See if Zeke's partial to singing with you, cuz I sure as heck am not doing the next musical audition with you. And when there are callbacks – which there will be, I swear – you're going to be having a heckuva face-off."

Sharpay watched her brother go, expecting to feel something – remorse or spite or _something – _but she simply stood, watching, empty. Once he was gone, she turned around and walked bouncily down the hall. The familiar click-clack of Sharpette heels behind her was reassuring; she continued striding as if nothing was wrong, as if she didn't notice the soft slap of Ryan's soles against the linoleum floor.

She could hear them whispering and muttering about her as she walked past.

"Ice Queen…" "Dragon Girl's finally driven Oliver bonkers…" "If she can't hold onto her brother, does she have anyone at all…?"

"I hear her mother only associates with her because of a contract she made her sign when she was only five…"

Sharpay tried not to listen, but the comments were penetrating her stiffly hair sprayed 'do. Ice Queen? Dragon Girl – those were nicknames the Sharpettes hadn't told her about. All she knew about was the mirror quip and Sourface, a poorly done jab at her screen name, Sweetface.

A girl named Peaches who was a known Sharpay-worshipper jumped into her path, blocking the posse.

Instead of the usual, Hi, Sharpay! Accompanied with a perky wave, Peaches muttered under her breath, "I'd be careful, Shar. Lots of girls are saying you're not worth all the attention you get…"

Sharpay shoved her aside and continued on. She heard a slam as Peaches lost her balance and fell into the lockers, and someone wailed "Bloody nose!" but she refused to look back. Stupid girls, stupid cheerleaders and jealous witches…

When she reached the cafeteria, she looked back, and saw that the Sharpettes were gone, and she had been strutting alone.

Perhaps, Sharpay thought, perhaps she was just a tad too cold. Then again, it was what everyone expected of her…

With a jolt she realized how terrible that sounded. People expected her to be cold. It was her known nature.

With a shudder, she tried to brush it off, but the thought remained in the foreground of her brain, a place in which it was really unwelcome.


End file.
